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SENRAN KAGURA: Bon Appetit!: Official GBAtemp Review

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Reviewed by Michael Willis,
posted Dec 4, 2014
Senran Kagura is already a weird, strange, fanservicey type of game, but add cooking to the mix and what do you get? Yet another weird and somewhat satisfying experience of course!

Dec 4, 2014

Release Date (NA): November 11, 2014

Release Date (EU): December 12, 2014

Release Date (JP): March 20, 2014

Publisher:XSEED Games

Developer: Meteorise

Genres:Rhythm

ESRB Rating: Mature

PEGI Rating: Eighteen years and older

Single player

Local Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Co-operative

Senran Kagura: Bon Appetit is a spinoff of the Senran Kagura series. Unlike the past beat 'em up games in the series, Bon Appetit is a rhythm cooking game instead.

Introduction and the Presentation

The story begins with the main protagonist known as, Asuka, going on a journey to change people's opinion about food. What she wants is for everyone around the world to believe that food should be thick, long, and you should probably see where I am going with this... The game pulls no punches when it comes to innuendo, that's just what the game is. That line isn't the only line, there are tons more where that came from, and it will only grow from there! Besides the humor, the game throws constant fanservice at the player, something the series is known for after all. The series has always been about underage girls being in suggestive poses and saying suggestive things and this cooking spinoff isn't anything different.

That's right, if you are going into this game unprepared, you better get ready for boob physics everywhere.

Gameplay

Gameplay wise, it's a bit on the simple side of things. When the prompt comes up, it's up to the player to quickly press that prompt to keep up the rhythm. Continuing to do so, players will be able to shoot a "beam" towards their opponent and destroy a piece of clothing revealing themselves. Yeah. Not much else can be explained, after the match, the rounds will be tallied up and the one who hit the most prompts win. Maybe the developers didn't want players to feel too overwhelmed by the game. Whatever it was, the game feels too easy at times.

The story isn't really much either. For those wanting to play the game for the story will probably leave disappointed. Unless, suggestive double entendre are their thing because the story is filled will tons of those. I don't know, I skipped through most of the cringe-worthy dialogue and stupid scenes to get to the real meat of the game (Which isn't really much either!).

Oh, and let's talk about that wall of DLC. The character selection screen features tons of blacked out characters that cannot be unlocked during normal gameplay. These characters are DLC that are only unlocked once the players pony up $14.99 for the DLC pack, the same price as the game itself. I found it to be really off-putting, but hey, if players want to play as their favorite character they sure can after throwing another $14.99 at their screens.

Conclusion

Senran Kagura: Bon Appetit isn't for everyone. It's a mediocre rhythm game that feels like it's only there to pander to their fanbase that wanted to see their favorite girls in cooking gear. For people who aren't into this series, they aren't going to be jumping in anytime soon with this game.

While the game isn't broken in anyway, it's still not a very enjoyable game for those not into the franchise.

Verdict

Pros+
Nice artstyle+
Decent rhythm gameplay

Cons-
Music is bland-
Fanservice can be a turn off-
Music prompts could be placed better-
Sometimes repetitive-
Obsessive amount of DLC

7

Presentation
The game looks nice on the Vita but for some, the artstyle is too fanservicey and can quicky turn anyone off the game.

5

Gameplay
The gameplay is simple. Almost too simple however. The game can quickly scale in difficulty but it is still outright too easy.

5

Lasting Appeal
Not much can be said about the lasting appeal. It looks nice and plays decently but that's about it. Fans will most likely enjoy what the game has to offer, everyone else will most likely drop the game.

5.5

out of 10

Overall(not an average)
Definitely not a game for everyone expect fans of the series. The rhythm sections are decent at best, the music used during those sections are bland, and it's just a repetitive experience. The only thing I can recommend in this game is the hilarious dialogue but even that can't hold the game up as well.

I like when developers go over the top with their games, but if its not challenging then there's no reason to play for me.
And i would say the music's decent and not bland, a bit slow for a game being in the Senran Kagura series.
Personally, i don't think the fanservice is a turn off cause that's what the developer was aiming in the first place.
Haven't played the game but from what i see online its pretty fine but slow for a rhythm game.

This game is awesome honestly the only fault is the music selection for rhythm game not enough and dlc .The artwork is great "turn anyone off "don't think so at all it can keep a lot coming back for more .